D3 conferences are created more for travel convenience than any other reasons. The difficulty comparing conferences allows everyone to claim their superiority for different reason. We laughed after each visit because each D3 coach, or Ivy coach said their conference was best and had valid credentials to back them up:
Swarthmore (Centennial - best money)
Carleton (MIAC - best baseball played by all teams in conference)
Dartmouth (Ivy - Best reputation in the outside world)
W & L (ODAC - best baseball and weather combo)
Tufts (NESCAC - most regional appearances and championship teams)
Even Emory, who is actually independent for baseball, said their conference was best for all the other sports. We were dumb for even bringing conferences up because its such a wide net and there are so many metrics involved that every conference can say its "best". However, the biggest factor in conference irrelevance is that you only visit each conference school every other year while you will be at your own school every day.
Travel is a consideration, but not the main reason by any means. look around D3 and each school can probably find closer travel partners.
In Ohio, their are enough teams alone in D3 that there is no reason to be in a conference with schools in Indiana and Pennsylvania,NCAC. Travel is secondary, Over the years there has been conferences with huge footprints. For example look at the old SCAC they had schools in Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Colorado and Arkansas. Even when the SAA broke off from the other schools in the SCAC, they claimed it had nothing to do with travel. (personally I think it was sour grapes, but that is another story.)
to be accurate, for other readers, Emory is part of the UAA confernce, they are not an independent. The UAA conference does not have enough schools to gain an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney. You need seven, in a conference, and I believe they have 5. All the UAA schools get together on spring break and have their conference tourney.
Getting back to the topic, Do not look at the conference, look at who the school plays every year. Do they play the top teams, marietta, Linfield, cortland? Or do they play cup cakes for their non conference match ups.
With the change in the D3 rules about in-region vs. out of region match ups and how they count toward a pool C bid, It will be interesting to see how spring break schedules change. My sons coach is trying to schedule some tougher OOC games this spring in Myrtle beach, instead of going to Florida again and facing the same mideast region teams they always face.